Burn Fat with Tabata Training | 4-Minute Tabata Workout
Tabata workouts are super effective and time-efficient for incinerating fat in four-minute intervals. They are not for the faint-hearted - but do deliver some serious benefits that will help improve your conditioning and fitness levels.
The old school Tabata workouts just utilise one exercise, but you can really add some variety to your workout by adding in some variations to keep things interesting!
You don’t even need a gym to get a great workout, this routine is a bodyweight one that can be done anywhere!
How do Tabata sessions work?
Each Tabata interval consists of 20 seconds of high-intensity exercise with a ten-second rest. This is repeated for four minutes which equates to eight rounds.
4-Minute Tabata Workout
Exercise #1: Bodyweight Squat
- Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands in front of your body, level with the floor.
- Start the exercise by bending the knees and sitting back with the hips into a squat position.
- Squeeze the glutes and don’t allow the knees to cave or go beyond your toes.
- Continue the movement as far as your flexibility allows and reverse the motion to return to the starting position. Repeat.
Exercise #2: Mountain Climbers
- Begin this exercise in a push-up position. Bend the knee and bring one leg towards your body until your knee is close to your hip.
- Reverse the position using an explosive movement until the original leg is straight and the opposite knee is now at your chest.
- Reverse again continuously until the twenty seconds are up.
Exercise #3: Push-ups
- Start with your face towards the floor and your hands shoulder-width apart while holding your chest up.
- Lower your torso downwards until your chest is almost touching the ground.
- Breathe out and push your body up to the starting position, squeezing the chest tightly. Pause for a few seconds and then repeat.
Exercise #4: Lunges
- Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips to aid balance.
- To do this exercise, step forward with one leg and bend at the knees to lower your hips.
- When your rear knee is almost at ground level, reverse the movement out of the lunge.
Exercise #5: Jumping jacks
- Begin by standing with your feet beside each other.
- In one movement, jump so that your feet go out to the side and lift your arms above your head.
- Reverse the movement so that you return to the original position. Repeat the exercise for 20 seconds.
Exercise #6: Burpees
- Start with your legs shoulder-width apart. put your hands on the ground and with an explosive movement kick your legs backs so that your stomach is touching the floor.
- Keep the elbows bent and push your arms up as though you are completing a push-up. In an explosive movement, jump up and stand before jumping explosively into the airlifting your arms above your head.
- Return to the starting position and repeat for 20 seconds.
Exercise 7: Tuck Jumps
Start standing up with a slight bend in the knees. With your arms in front of you, place your palms facing downwards with your fingers together.
Lower yourself quickly into a squat position and power upwards as hard as you can.
Push your knees towards your torso, aiming to touch your palms with your knees. Be careful as you land bending the knees and repeat for as many repetitions as possible in the twenty-second time frame.
Exercise #8: Tricep Dips
- Begin by holding your body at arm's length at the edge of a bench or step.
- Breathe in and lower your body downwards. Keep your chest upright and keep the elbows close to the body.
- Breathe out and push your body back up using your triceps to return to the starting position. Repeat for 20 seconds.
Cooldown stretches
Make sure you remember to stay hydrated and stretch afterwards!
Hamstring stretches
Hip openers, side stretches, quad stretches
Take Home Message
A Tabata workout is perfect for those with little time to spare throughout the day - and doesn't require a gym presence.
Try this calorie-burning routine in the morning to kick start a great day!
